Where grace abounds

Tag Archives: submission

“But if the Lord does something entirely new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up along with all that they have, and they go down alive to the grave, then you will know that these men have despised the Lord!”

Numbers 16.30

The Lord not only knows those who are his, but he shows who belongs to him and who doesn’t. He destroyed Korah and all those who rebelled with him against the Lord.

God often does “something entirely new,” showing again and again who his true people are. What must we do to keep from being swallowed up?

On occasion we speak about authority in religion, putting emphasis on God’s authority in the things we do as the body of Christ in our worship to Him. This is most appropriate, and we ought not to minimize it like, unfortunately, some do. Not only are we to operate this way, but our respect for authority needs to be in place before obedience can express itself properly.

To respect authority is to look at one who is in a position that demands attention and submission. One’s parents are in position that demands attention and submission; one’s teacher is the same. The submission that one gives to a parent may not be the same that one gives to a teacher, but there is similarity.

When the Lord said to His disciples that He had all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), He did not delegate that authority to anyone else. It is still His authority, and it is to Him that we submit ourselves. To not submit to His authority do is to fall under the disappointment and disapproval of the Lord Himself (Luke 6:46).

How does one show respect toward authority? One shows respect toward authority by submission, that is, by obeying the one who is in position of responsibility in exercising that authority. This can be done willfully or unwillingly. If it is the latter, then respect is in mere appearance, not in substance. If it is the former, then respect is not only in the deed (act of submission), but in the heart (substance) also.

While toward man we might feign appearance of respect, there is no such feigning to the Lord. To man we don’t answer, but to the Lord we must.

An E-Letter from Ted and Barbara Knight to EDIFY our Brothers and Sisters in Romania

Feb. 9, 2011

Dear Brothers, Sisters, & Friends,

I wonder when I will ever learn that I AM NOT IN CHARGE of things in this life. Right now I am sitting in front of my computer writing this message and I am supposed to be driving to the airport in Little Rock, Arkansas to make my flight to Cluj, Romania today. I had all my preparations made. I had my plane tickets, passport, hotel reservations, a good flight schedule, bags were almost completely packed, and suddenly on Monday, Feb. 7th I began to feel some pains in my stomach and chest. After a time I decided to go to the hospital, then went to my family doctor, and back to the hospital. After a lot of tests and appointments for more tests were made, I finally relented and decided that I could not fulfill the plans that I had made. In addition to those problems, as I sit here right now the snow is coming down until one can hardly see and if I had made it to the airport I am sure that the plane could not have left. So, here I sit realizing again that I am simply not in charge, God is.

In the last Edifier, I wrote to you about ‘Submitting’ to God. Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Thine be done.” That is a simple prayer to pray, but there is a problem when HIS WILL and MY WILL seem to conflict. I learn then that what I really want at the moment is for MY WILL to be done regardless and that isn’t a good thing. So, I try to learn again the importance of submitting to His will and letting go of my own. As I look out my window right now I am so thankful to be here instead of on the highway, waiting in an airport, or being in Romania very sick and not knowing what the problem is and trying to deal with the complications of trying to get back home to my doctors.

“Thank You, Father for taking care of me even when I do not deserve Your care, and help me to learn that it is YOUR WILL that matters above all others. Father, help all of us to trust YOU and accept Your direction through Your word for our life. I pray in Jesus name, Amen!”

God and I are working on plans for another trip there as soon as possible and I ask you to join me in praying for His will to be done and that I can see many of you soon. May God bless and keep you is our prayer. We love and miss you very much.

Christ has all authority, and we are commanded to submit to him, Matt. 28:18.
We are to submit to the governing authorities, as long as they do not make demands contrary to the will of God, Rom. 13:1; Acts 5:29
We are to submit to elders, Heb. 13:17
Wives are to submit to their husbands,, Col. 3:18
Children are to submit to their parents, Eph. 6:1
Servants are to be obedient to Masters, Eph. 6:5.

No matter our age or position in life, there will always be someone in authority above us. Parents need to do a better job instilling into their children proper respect for authority. Too often parents are afraid to be authoritative in the lives of their children. However, learning to respect and submit to authority on a rudimentary level is vital preparation for submitting to various authorities in life, not the least of which is Christ, our ultimate authority. When parents provide godly authority for their children, it enables children to feel secure. Likewise, I feel a great sense of security when I think of Christ, because He is my perfect authority. Anything he requires of me is for my own good.

On a personal note, living here in Tanzania I do feel a certain amount of trepidation towards those in positions of authority in the world. Many are not interested in truth and justice, but in personal gain. However, I know that Christ will cause justice to reign in the end, and that is where my security lies.